Achilles vecht met riviergod Scamander c. 1700

Editor: Here we have J. Alexander Janssens’ engraving, "Achilles Fighting the River God Scamander," from around 1700. It’s intense! The composition is a swirl of bodies and action. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate drama, this engraving offers a lens through which we can examine the politics of heroism and environmental domination. Achilles, representing a patriarchal and war-driven society, battles Scamander, a river god – literally, nature itself. Notice how the "civilized" warrior, clad in armor, violently subdues the raw, untamed power of the natural world. Editor: So, it’s not just a depiction of a mythological battle, but a statement? Curator: Precisely. Consider the context: 17th-century Europe witnessing growing urbanization and colonial expansion. The engraving implicitly celebrates human conquest over nature, a narrative that has devastating consequences for marginalized communities and the environment. How do we grapple with these power dynamics represented in art? Editor: It really changes how you look at Achilles, not just as a hero but as a symbol of something much more problematic. I guess it reflects the human desire to dominate the earth, as old as time? Curator: Indeed. Art like this can force us to reckon with uncomfortable truths about our relationship with the world, then and now, and to consider how these stories shape our own understanding of power. Editor: This has made me rethink the stories I learned about in school – and consider how we continue to celebrate them. Thank you.